Anybody know anything about Mrs. (Wesley) Clark?

[bluestateguy]

Fairly or not, perceptions of the First Lady, or First Lady candidate, matter to many voters and can reinforce or impair a candidate's reputation for honesty and character.

Does anybody know anything about Gertrude Clark? What she does for a living? Any attributes or shortcomings she could bring to the campaign?

[juajen]

1. I've asked this question before, and haven't gotten an answer.

Thanks for asking it again. I believe I asked pepperbelly this question and there wasn't an answer. I've never even seen a picture of her. I also think she is very important to his campaign. A really good First Lady candidate could add votes. I hope she's a southern charmer, but don't even know if she is Arkansan also. Come on, somebody give us some info on Mrs. Clark. I'm really curious.

[carpetbagger]

2. She's from Brooklyn.

That's good enough for me. Honestly, I know very little else.

[carpetbagger]

3. Tooled around the net. Not much else.

They've been married for 36 years. Her maiden name is Gertrude Kingston. When Clark retired, Cohen awarded her a medal and had what seemed to be more than average flattery for her contributions. This would be consistent with Clark's image in the military as someone who made a great effort in caring for the families and soldiers under his command. I'd imagine she's spent the last 36 years as a military spouse. They've got one kid who makes movies in California.

It's been mentioned that she had some reservations to him running, but she's behind it.

[JI7]

5. i think she gave the "go ahead"

i think clark was mostly holding out because of family, and his decision to really run came from his wife. that's the way it usually is so it's not that surprising. but i remember that part in an article not too long ago .

[VolcanoJen]

4. Here's a link to a photo of the lovely Mrs. Clark

For those interested...

http://www.nato.int/multi/photos/1999/m990506b.htm

The photo is in the second row, last photo, on the right. Mrs. Clark is on the left in the photograph.

[Julien Sorel]

6. Here she is isolated from the photo:

[Wonk]

8. Here's that pic and another that I found, fwiw

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Click to enlarge



http://wesleyclark.h1.ru/clark026.jpg

[Julien Sorel]

7. And here is an awful photo I got from a Spanish site:

I think that, as a General's wife, she has the potential to bring a lot to his campaign. High-level military spouses are usually tremendous organizers, flexible, and pragmatic -- all useful skills on a campaign, plus they are used to sharing their husbands (in this case) with their associates to an unusual degree. They often have a sense of duty and responsibility that rivals the officer's. I suspect if the country gets a chance to know her, they're going to like what they see, although that's based strictly on my own knowledge of other military wives, not her specifically.

[Dookus]

9. You're right....

Military wives, at least the ones who stick it out, are awesome. Gertie will be a huge asset for Clark if he decides to run.

Plus, my great-aunt Gertrude was my de-facto grandmother. I will always love every Gertrude I encounter.

[grasswire]

10. perfectly acceptable!

Nicely accessorized! Better than Pickles.

[Wonk]

11. Superficial criteria. Some folks vote that way, though. Whatever. nt

[Dookus]

12. I think....

very few people, especially those here at DU vote based on "superficial criteria".

But if it makes you feel superior to judge everybody else, go right ahead.